Johnny Ramone’s Tribute to be Memorialized in New Documentary

San Diego, CA (Sep 29, 2009) - San Diego-based 3D producer PassmoreLab, in conjunction with the Johnny Ramone Army, has confirmed that the legendary rocker’s memorial tribute will be filmed for a as-yet-untitled documentary during the previously announced 5th Annual Johnny Ramone Tribute, which will take place at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 3, 2009.

Ramone’s annual tribute, now in its fifth year and attended by thousands of fans, takes place at the foot of his 8 ft. memorial bronze statue inside the cemetery.

The Hi-Definition 2D documentary will be worthy of the rockstar and will focus on capturing the raw, emotional, and endearing moments of the 5th Annual Johnny Ramone Tribute – a day-long rock-icon tribute event attended by thousands — as told by the people who were there: his loyal fans, trusted comrades, and the attending celebrities and rock musicians Johnny influenced through his storied career.

Ramone, who created the enduring template for punk rock guitar with his blazing power chords and brutal licks, energized Ramones’ classics like “Blitzkrieg Bop”, “Rockaway Beach” and “Sheena is a Punk Rocker”. Ramone inspired generations of punk bands until his untimely death from prostate cancer in 2004, at age 55.

The film will capture all the action from the event as it happens — celebrity guests and speakers in attendance; autograph signings with sole surviving founding member, Ramones drummer & producer Tommy Ramone, and CJ Ramone; a rare memorabilia exhibit; an art show of original paintings by the legendary Ramones bassist Dee Dee Ramone; opening featurettes of 3D animated music videos from the Johnny Ramone Army and Osaka Popstar; and never-before-seen 3D photos of Johnny Ramone himself.

The evening will continue with a 2D version of the original “Rock ‘N Roll High School” theatrical trailer, which will be introduced by special guest PJ Soles, who appeared in the classic film decades ago; and “Night of the Living Pinheads”, a rare clip from the “Ramones RAW” DVD where the band is seen in South America and their van is being mobbed by adoring fans.

The filming and the evening will conclude with a vintage Ramones concert shot in 1977 entitled “Its Alive” and the 3D World Premiere of George Romero’s original 1968 cult classic “Night of the Living Dead, Now in 3D”, produced by PassmoreLab, and introduced by actress Rose McGowan.

“Johnny’s annual tribute has become such an awe-inspiring event. We’ve started showing Johnny’s favorite movies and paired them with vintage Ramones concerts each year,” said John Cafiero, Chief of Staff of the Johnny Ramone Army. “This year, we are doing the same with ‘It’s Alive’ and premiering one of his all-time favorites with ‘Night of the Living Dead, Now in 3D’. Capturing the tribute on film for the first time will be a great time capsule and a real testament to the power of Johnny’s legacy, and the timeless legacy of the Ramones. It’s very exciting and will be a lot of fun for the fans to be such a big part of it too.”

The documentary has been an inspiration for everyone involved, including the film-makers.

“We are honored to be a part of this tribute, and as filmmakers, we felt obligated to capture this moment in time so future generations can experience it as it happened” said Steve Glum, PassmoreLab’s head of Branding & Distribution. “The journey of so many fans, young and old, to be present at an event like this is proof of Johnny’s ever-enduring spirit, and we are thrilled to co-produce this film with JRA.”

“Every year after the tribute, I always feel bad that there’s nothing to remember it by. This year there will be.” said Linda Ramone, wife of the legendary guitarist and founding member of the Ramones.

The 5th Annual Johnny Ramone Tribute and World Premiere of “Night of the Living Dead, Now in 3D” event are open to the public for a $10 per person minimum donation entrance fee with net proceeds benefiting the Johnny Ramone prostate cancer research fund at USC Westside Prostate Cancer Center lead by Dr. David Agus. Gates for the event will open at 5:30pm, and picnic dinners, drinks (including alcohol), pillows, blankets and small chairs are permitted. Attendees of the event will get free commemorative 3D glasses upon entering.

The 5th Annual Johnny Ramone Tribute documentary will be released on DVD at a future date.

**Photo by Danny Fields, under exclusive license to JRA LLC. Reprinted by permission

2D to 3D: Classic masterpieces to get 3D makeover

“This is just the tip of the iceberg. We are seeing a massive shift right now to 3D”.

Words from a rather excited Steve Glum, head of branding and distribution at Passmorelabs in San Diego, the world’s largest 3D content provider.

With the world and its dog touting the excitement of 3D you can see why companies like Passmorelabs are excited about the world going three dimensional when it comes to watching movies.

The studio specialises in turning 2D movies into 3D, ready for the studios to release in the cinema to a 3D hungry audience, as well as creating its own 3D content.

The company is just finishing up turning the 1968 horror movie Night of the Living Dead into 3D, showing that 3D movies aren’t just about cartoon monsters or space battles in the far reaches of the galaxy.

Originally shot in black and white over 40 years ago, George Romero’s masterpiece has, says Glum, been “painstakingly restored, colorized and converted, frame by frame into full 3D” using the company’s proprietary technology. The process, which took over 12 months to complete at a cost greater than the film’s original production budget, “was no small feat”.

So will it succeed? Glum certainly hopes so:

“3D is out performing 2D content in most cases”, Glum tells us before commenting that most cinemas and studios are keen to embrace the technology because they can charge more for the experience at the cinema.

With over 30 Hollywood 3D blockbusters slated for 2010 and the cinema currently packed with titles like Coraline and Monsters versus Aliens it’s only a matter of time before cinema goers want that experience in the home.

“There is no content yet for the home”, confirms Glum. “But that’s because there isn’t any technology out there yet that is mainstream. No Blu-ray 3D, no vast array of televisions that offers the technology. But do you really think James Cameron will be happy to let that slide?”

Glum is referring to James Cameron’s Avatar due out in the Cinema in December.

The film, which Cameron himself believes will have the same if not greater effect on cinema as the first “talkies”, is expected to catapult 3D to the masses and open the flood gates to more 3D content from all directions.

If, as expected, it is the box-office smash that the studio and Cameron is planning on, then come the time of the scheduled Blu-ray release in 2010 there currently isn’t a way to experience the film in the home.

Industry experts predict that this will force the studios into pushing for the adoption of a standardised format with Blu-ray 3D at the centre of it.

“The industry will change pretty quickly”, states Glum.

Of course you can get 3D for the home at the moment. Anaglyph 3D is probably the most familiar and involves you wearing blue and red glasses. It’s been around for sometime, however to get a “true” 3D experience studios are opting for the more efficient “polarised” method. It still involves you wearing glasses but the 3D effect is considerably better.

This year’s IFA confirms that 2010 will be a big year from a hardware perspective, with Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba, Samsung, LG and the Blu-ray Disc Association all putting their weight behind the technology.

“It will be a number of years before you get to deep penetration, but we still will see a robust market that will begin to emerge in 2010”, Jeffery Katzenberg, the boss at Dreamworks said at 3D Summit in LA in September. “All the major manufacturers are aggressively rolling 3D products beginning next year”.

So are we likely to see a barrage of re-released 2D movies in 3D? As the quote at the top of this article stated:

“This is just the tip of the iceberg”.

With the higher revenue from cinemas, the chance to convince consumers to re-invest in possible new Blu-ray players, TV and films, combined with a hunger for 3D content, expect your world to go 3D very quickly over the next 2 years.

Enjoyed this article about 3DTV? Then check out more articles in our 3DTV week on the 3DTV homepage.

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/27270/2d-to-3d-conversion-coming